On My Own
by sarcasticallyblessed
Summary: Modern-day Paris. Eponine falls for Marius, but ends up hitting rock bottom. She feels alone and deserted, but she pushes away all help given to her. Will Enjolras be able to break through to her? E/E
1. Chapter 1: Eponine

Chapter 1: Eponine

"She expected the world, but it flew away from her reach. So she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of paradise"-Coldplay

Eponine Thenardier had never dreamt of being in love. It wasn't something that had ever crossed her mind. Her only example of love was that which her parents showed her, which wasn't much at all. She never thought of her wedding day or even starting a family. That is, until she met him.

He was perfect in every way she could imagine. He was smart (he was in college!). He was interesting. And most of all, he cared. Even though she only saw him when he came into the cafe where she worked, he always sincerely asked how she was doing. He and his group of friends would come into the cafe often and sit for hours just talking. She was always curious about what.

"So, Eponine, how are you doing today?" he asked one day as he waited for his coffee.

"I'm doing really well" she said, honestly for once. Because I get to see you. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything," he said with a smile.

"What do you and your friends talk about while you're here?"

"Why don't you come sit down and find out?" he said with a flirtatious tone.

Eponine blushed and fumbled with mug she was holding, almost spilling it on herself. "I-I um... I would love to. Would that be all right?"

He chuckled, taking the mug from her trembling fingers. "Of course! The more the merrier!"

Eponine told her boss that she was going to be taking her break then and sat down with the boy. Honestly, she couldn't say what they talked about, she was too busy being enthralled with the boy. He kept looking over at her and sneaking smiles toward her. She couldn't control the grin on her face. Get a hold of yourself, Eponine! she told herself. You don't even know this boy. I know I don't know him, but why can't I get to know him? she argued with herself until her break was over.

"I'm sorry, I have to go back to work," she whispered to him and left. His group of friends left a little after that, but he waited around, just reading. When she got off a couple hours later, he came up to her.

"Could I walk you home?" he asked

"Yes, yes you could," Eponine replied, not being able to hold in her smile.

As they walked to her home, they talked and talked about various things. He told her that his group of friends, the Les Amis (French for "friends" he said), would meet once a week just to talk about politics. They were all friends from college. They also talked about her family a little bit, which she was never prone to open up about, but he made it easy. She told him about how she was trying to get enough money to move out and support her and her brother, Gavroche.

When they finally reached her home, she turned to him. "Sir, thank you for walking me home. It was very kind of you. It can get kind of suspicious walking the streets of Paris alone in the dark."

"Anytime, Eponine." He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He grinned and started walking away.

"Wait! Monsieur!" He turned. "What's your name?"

"Marius Pontmercy." He said with a smile and continued on his way.

**Author's note: Hey! So this is my first Fanfiction, so let me know what you guys think! I really hope you enjoy it and the next chapter should be up soon :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Young Love

**A/N: Second chapter is up! I am basing this fanfiction off of the movie mainly, like character descriptions and such. Also, I am not sticking strictly to the personality of the character we see in the movie, or the plot of the movie. I'm playing a lot with it, and I hope you like how I did. let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything belongs to Victor Hugo**

Chapter two: Young Love

"If you want my love, well you've got to get closer to me"- Jars of Clay

Eponine couldn't help but smile when Marius would come in to the café. After a couple of weeks of him walking her home, she felt comfortable enough to meet his friends. When Marius first introduced her, they all welcomed her warmly.

"Yes, I noticed you before," said Combeferre, a sandy-haired student. "I'm glad you joined us again."

"Me too!" Joly said enthusiastically. He had a smile on his face that reached his eyes. "What's your name?"

"Eponine," she said. She felt intimidated by Marius and everyone else, but she wouldn't let herself show it. She stood up straight and willed herself to look them each in the eye as they talked to her.

"Eponine what?" asked a dark-curly haired boy. "We need to know exactly who stole our Marius' heart."

Though she wanted grin, Eponine wouldn't allow herself to show just how happy this statement made her feel. Though she didn't really want to tell them her last name. With that name came a horrible reputation that she just wanted to get out of.

"You don't have to answer Courfeyrac, Eponine," said Marius, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He's just teasing." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"No... you're the daughter of those scam innkeepers, aren't you?" asked another student who reeked of alcohol.

"Grantaire! What the hell?" Marius burst out.

"No... no, it's true." Eponine looked down. "Even though I am living under their roof, I am doing everything to get out of there. I am not like them."

"We shouldn't judge anyone by who their parents are," the head of the group said, his blue eyes staring harshly at Grantaire. He looked down in shame.

"Thank you, Monsieur," Eponine said, grateful that someone understood.

"Please," he said with a kind of laugh, "I'm Enjolras. And you are welcome to join our group any time you want to."

Eponine sat down with the group and they began to talk about different political things that she didn't really have an interest in. What had the government ever done for her and her family? But she just made some friends and got to be with Marius, so it was worth it. When her break was over and she got up to leave, Grantaire came up to her.

"I'm really sorry," he slurred, looking ashamed. "I don't know what I was thinking when I said that."

"Grantaire, it's totally fine. I would have done the same. My parents' reputation lives on and I'm just trying to get out from under that." She put a hand on his arm and smiled, assuring him that there were no hard feelings.

"Thank you, Eponine." He gave her a crooked smile and sat back down.

Marius waited for Eponine to get off work again and walked her home. She found it so easy to talk to him about anything and everything. He made her feel welcome and most of all safe. He didn't care about her past, her parents or anything else. He saw her for who she really was.

When they arrived at her house, she turned to him. "So, was Courfeyrac totally off with his comment today?" she asked with a smirk.

Marius shifted his weight nervously. "Maybe... not totally off." Eponine looked at him hopefully. "Eponine, would you like to go out with me?"

"I thought you would never ask," Eponine said teasingly. "Of course I would." And that's how it all started.

* * *

Eponine started a habit of saving her breaks for when Marius and Les Amis would come in. She found that all the students welcomed her easily and she became comfortable with them easily. Soon, they were all good friends. She often spent her nights after work with them and would go home with Marius. She was hardly home, and that was a huge stress off of her shoulders.

After about three months of almost never being there, Eponine walked into her house. She was almost unrecognizable. The once miserable Eponine was now standing there with a light in her eye that had never been there before. She announced to her parents that she was moving out, and if he wanted to come, Gavroche was going with her.

"Oh yeah?" snarled her mother. "And how are you getting the money for that?"

"I'm moving in with my boyfriend," Eponine said. Her parents stared at her open-mouthed.

"Fine," her father said after a long pause. "But you can't take Gavroche. He's under 18 and still under our control."

Eponine knew her brother hadn't been in the house for longer than her. She wasn't sure where he was staying, but it was at least safer than here. So she shrugged, grabbed her few things, and left. She slammed the door, hoping to never have to step foot in there again.

When she walked into their apartment, he was there waiting for her. "So?" He asked with a hopeful look.

"I'm free." Eponine couldn't control her grin. "I am out of there. And I'm here, with you." She walked into his embrace and kissed him. He held her close and he looked at her with a smile. "We are free."


	3. Chapter 3: Rock bottom

**A/N: Thank you so much for the follows/favorites/reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it so much! So this chapter is kind of long, hope not too long. Also, you guys might hate me after this chapter, sorry. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next one should be up soon!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Chapter three: Rock Bottom

"But I'd like to think I can cheat it all, to make up for the times I've been cheated on"- Fun

Everything was perfect. Eponine was out of the reach of her parents and she was with the love of her life. Eponine would go to work and come home to share drinks and laughs with the boys and go to bed with Marius. She was with her best friends and she knew her brother was safe. He would come over often. Things could not get better.

It was a normal day at work for Eponine. She was looking forward to seeing a movie later and going out afterward. Marius had been distant lately, but she figured it was just school stuff. She had been working like crazy. She knew they were both exhausted. She was hoping tonight would give them both some time to relax.

Caught in this daydream, Eponine almost didn't recognize who walked in the door. Almost. She smelled him as soon as he walked in. He smelled of alcohol and smoke. She had grown up smelling that. He walked in with a perverted smirk on his face. "'Ponine! How is my dear little god-daughter?"

Eponine almost threw up. "You make me sick, Montparnasse. Why are you even here?" she snarled. "Get out." Her hands were shaking. This man was one of the disgusting guys her dad played poker with, when they weren't out robbing people. Her early teenage years were scarred by her father and his entourage, namely Montparnasse.

"What, a guy can't come to see his best friend's daughter at work?" he slurred. He reached across the counter and put his hand on top of hers, breathing his awful breath in her face. She quickly jumped away, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Why are you here?" she asked again, stone cold.

"Your father wanted me to co-"

"Liar!" Eponine interrupted. "My father doesn't give a shit what happens to me. Why are you here?"

"Okay, okay" Montparnasse put his hands up in surrender. He leaned over the counter, slowly looking her up and down and licking his lips. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I haven't seen you in months. You know, we used to have really good times."

Eponine backed away from him, eyes searching for an escape route. He had done things to her before, he was more than likely going to try again. There was no one to be seen in the café. Eponine had no idea where her boss was, but now would be a nice time for her to make an appearance. He stared at her, lust darkening his eyes. "get out," she warned.

"Or what?" he asked with a smirk. Eponine's hands searched for something, anything to defend herself. Her fingers curled around the handle of a mug. In the blink of an eye, she had covered him with scalding coffee.

"You little bitch!" He yelled out, causing her boss to run out. "You fucking crazy bitch!"

"What the hell happened here?!" her boss yelled. Had she been there a moment earlier, she would have understood, but now, Montparnasse looked like the victim.

"Your employee attacked me!" he screamed. "I tried to have a normal conversation, and she throws fucking coffee all over me!"

Eponine's boss turned to her, red with anger. "Get. Out." she said, voice quaking with fury.

"But, Madame! He was trying to attack me!" Eponine argued.

"I don't want to hear your excuses. Get. Out," she said again.

"Madame!" Eponine's voice cracked. "please. I need this job"

"Out!"

Montparnasse smirked through his pain. Eponine scowled at him and ripped off her apron, furious. "I never liked this fucking job anyway. Both of you can go to hell," she spat. She stormed out and headed to Marius's apartment.

He was in class currently, so when she walked in she could break down. She went into the bathroom, turning on the shower. She stripped herself down and got in. She sat and cried for what seemed like hours. What kind of mess had she gotten herself into? Where was she going to find another job? With her past on display for any searching employer to see and the reputation of her parents, it was hopeless. She had had the job at the café for almost a year. She had barely anything when she had a job, and now she really had nothing.

When she couldn't cry anymore, she got out. She looked like a wreck, but she didn't really care about that. Eponine headed down the street to her favorite bar. She sat down and ordered a beer.

"'Ponine? What are you doing drinking at three in the afternoon? I thought that job was privileged to only me!" said a familiar voice, draping an arm around her.

Eponine shrugged the arm off. "not now, Grantaire. Please."

Instantly, Grantaire knew something was wrong. The usually witty, sarcastic girl was defeated and exhausted. He put his arm around her again and asked, "what happened, Ep?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snarled, shoving him away. She saw the instant hurt on his face and felt a pang of guilt. Her immediate response was to shove the feeling away and turn her heart to stone.

"come on," Grantaire said, putting some money on the counter. "let's get out of here. I don't know what happened, but I don't think a bar is the right place to be now. And that's coming from me" That made her laugh a little.

"where are we going?" she asked, letting herself be led out.

"just walking. Nowhere particular."

They walked in silence for about seven blocks. Eponine was so grateful for Grantaire. He was there for her, and allowed her to open up when she was ready. She had never really seen this softer side of him but she was glad he had one. They were always cracking wise ass comments at each other, never having serious conversations.

After a while of silence, they sat down on a park bench. Grantaire put his arm around her and she leaned on his shoulder. "I got fired today," she said so softly he almost didn't hear her.

"I'm really sorry, Ep," he said. "But you'll find something else, I'm sure of it. I know you think your parent's reputation will stop you from ever getting a decent job, but you'll find one." He rubbed her arm encouragingly. "What did you do, if I may ask?"

"I threw coffee in a customer's face."

"Did he deserve it?"

"Absolutely."

"That's my girl."

* * *

Eponine and Grantaire were out until around eight, talking and walking. He was strangely encouraging when he wasn't completely wasted. He told her he might even know of some job openings for her and would try to set her up. She was feeling better when she got back to the apartment, but all she really wanted to do was snuggle up and watch a movie.

She walked in to find Marius on the computer. "Look who decided to show up," he said sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Eponine said, defensive. She wasn't really in the mood to get yelled at for nothing. "I was out with Grantaire. I texted you and told you that."

Marius guiltily glanced at his phone, which was blinking to tell him he had a text message. "I thought we had plans tonight. But you decide to blow me off to go drinking with Grantaire?" he said, clearly offended.

"You don't even know that we were drinking!" Eponine said, her voice rising a bit. After all Grantaire had done for her today, she wasn't about to let Marius undermine him.

"Please, it's Grantaire we are talking about," Marius retorted. "That man doesn't do anything else."

"He has been your friend for years, and yet you are so quick to judge him. It seems like I know him better than you do, and you've known him for years. We weren't drinking, he was comforting me. Something I don't see you, my own boyfriend, doing," Eponine snapped, trying to walk away from the fight. She knew her temper and didn't really want to lose it.

"How on earth was I supposed to know you were upset?" Marius said while standing up and grabbing her arm to pull her back.

"Maybe if you actually read your texts, you would see that I said 'Long day. Not really feeling up for anything tonight. Gonna be out with Grantaire, but call me when you get this. It's been kind of a rough day.' But you couldn't even care enough to look at the text, let alone call me!" Eponine ripped her arm out of his grip.

"Well I'm sorry that I've been super stressed with school lately, trying to get a good education! Things haven't exactly been peachy for me either, you know." Marius's voice was close to yelling.

"I know they haven't, and who has been here for you the whole time? Me. You have been so distant lately, Marius. You've been so distant from me and I don't know how to pull you back. I can't be the only one giving in this relationship! It's like you aren't even trying! This is exhausting. I'm working like crazy, plus I have to try to handle a one-sided relationship and try to make it work? I would be better off alone, on my own." Eponine felt her cheeks heating. She realized what she had just said, but at this moment, she thought it was true. She couldn't do this anymore. Relationships shouldn't be this exhausting.

"Fine. If that's how you feel, why don't you leave?" Marius stared at her stone-faced. She had never seen him like this, this angry. He had his jaw firmly set as he looked at her.

But Eponine was just as angry. She stared back, her dark eyes flaming. "I don't find any reason to stay," she snarled. She grabbed her hat and coat and stormed out. She was halfway down the road when what had just happened really sunk in. She had just gotten angry at the only person who could make her happy. The only person who had cared. But what hurt even more was that he let her go. He didn't try to stop her. Eponine took out her phone, hands shaking. She dialed Grantaire's number and he picked up on the third ring.

"Heyyyy girl!" he slurred, obviously intoxicated. "What's up?"

"Can I come over?" she tried not to let her voice break.

"Well, I would love more company, but I'm kinda preoccupied at the moment, if you know what I mean," Grantaire said, laughing hysterically. "Besides, what about lover-boy? Isn't he dying to give some comforting sex to his girlfriend?"

"That's the thing..." Eponine said softly.

Grantaire understood immediately. "Where are you? I'll come pick you up." His voice was much more sober now, though he was still slurring his words. She could hear him shooing people out of his apartment.

She told him her location and sat down on the curb to wait for him.

* * *

When Eponine woke up on a couch the next morning, she didn't know where she was until she saw Enjolras, Courfeyrac, Joly, Combeferre, and Grantaire standing around her. The night before was a blur of alcohol. Right now though, all she could focus on was her throbbing headache and the light that was too bright. Squinting, she sat up and put her head in her hands.

"Well, look who's awake!" Grantaire said cheerily.

"What the hell happened?" Eponine asked, looking up at him. "Why am I here? And why are you being so loud?"

"You don't remember?" Courfeyrac asked, concerned. "Marius called me last night saying you didn't come home. So I called everyone until Grantaire told me he put you up for the night. Why did you go?"

Marius. The night's events all came rushing back. For a moment, Eponine felt a pang of pain and guilt. She should have never left. Already she missed him, missed his touch, his voice, his everything. She wanted her boyfriend back. And then Courfeyrac's words sunk in. "Did he say anything about what happened?" she asked.

"No, he just said you never came home..." Courfeyrac said slowly, trying to piece together what happened.

"That asshole. I came home alright, and we broke up," Eponine said, apathetic. She would not let her emotions get in the way.

There was a chorus of gasps. Suddenly, she was enveloped in a large embrace. They all wrapped their arms around her, telling her encouraging words.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed. "Marius is your friend, why are you comforting me?"

"We're your friends too," Enjolras said.

Eponine was surprised by this. She never expected the Les Amis to stay her friends if she and Marius broke up. "Well, thank you," she said sincerely. "I never expected you to all be here for me."

"Of course we are," Combeferre said, as if this was common knowledge. "You're kinda cool."

Eponine laughed, "thanks."

The guys stayed around for about an hour. They talked and laughed, and for a moment, Eponine forgot about her troubles. When they left, Eponine walked up to Grantaire and hugged him.

"What was that for?" he asked with crooked grin.

"Thank you for putting me up last night. And dealing with my drunk, just broke up self. How much did I tell you anyway?" There was no telling how emotional Eponine could get when she was drunk. She felt bad for making Grantaire having to deal with that.

"Actually, you didn't tell me anything," Grantaire said. "I didn't ask and you didn't tell. I figured you just had a fight, not that you broke up. I'm really sorry. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to until you're back on your feet."

"Thank you," she said, hugging him again.

* * *

Eponine had stayed with Grantaire a month before she decided to leave. She had searched everywhere for a respectable job. No one would hire her. She had no way of helping Grantaire with food or anything. He wasn't really well off to begin with, he definitely couldn't afford to feed another mouth. Of course, he didn't tell her this, but she knew. Eponine still had her pride, so she wouldn't ask any of her other friends to put her up for free.

After about two weeks of staying with Grantaire, Eponine had gone to Marius's apartment. She hadn't gone to beg for him back, but rather to get her stuff. She was still pretty mad at him, though she wouldn't have minded if he was doing horrible and wanted her back. However, when she knocked on the door, a woman's voice answered, "It's open!" Eponine couldn't force herself to go in. She tried to tell herself that it was nothing, but she knew. The thought of Marius already being over her broke her.

Also, things had been awkward between her and the rest of the guys. They would come over to Grantaire's house and hang out with her, but she could tell they were purposely trying not to mention Marius. She told them it was okay to talk about him, but of course they never did. So a lot of their conversations felt forced and uncomfortable.

So Eponine decided it was for the best that she leave and never see them again. She knew where she could stay, though it killed her to even think of going back there. They could probably even find her a job. But she that meant she had to cut all of her friends out of her life. Though she tried to never let herself get close to people she knew could potentially hurt her, she had let Les Amis get close to her. They were her best friends. They took care of her in her worst time. But this was for the best. She knew how to disappear, and right now, she had to.

So Eponine packed up her few belongings and walked to that dreadful place. She knocked on the door and it swung open. "Hi, mom. Hi, dad."


	4. Chapter 4: coping

**A/N: This week has been crazy and I'm really sorry for not posting sooner. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. Thank you SO MUCH for all the follows and favorites! They really mean a lot. I hope you like this chapter. Let me know! **

**Disclaimer: Victor Hugo wrote Les Miserables, not me**

Chapter four: Coping

"No one's laughing at God when they've lost all they got and they don't know what for"- Regina Spektor

Eponine opened the doors to the inn and a wretched scent pierced her nose. The place was an absolute mess, piles of filth lying around. Some of the inn's long term residents wandered around by the bar, smelling as if they hadn't showered in weeks. The whole place was chaos. Shelves were overfilled, laundry baskets were filling over, the tables were full of dishes. Eponine found her parents by the bar with some of their friends, laughing loudly. When they saw her, their smiles fell.

"Hi mom. Hi dad."

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to come crawling back," sneered Madame Thenardier, sauntering over to her daughter. "Did your boyfriend see you for the tramp you are? Did your friends finally realize it's not in their best interest to be around a crook?"

"Why, after disowning us and disgracing us, do you dare to show your face here?" her father said, grabbing her arm and taking her into a more private room so they wouldn't make a scene. "If you think that after not talking to us for months that we are about to let you come back, you are so wrong!" Thenardier approached her, towering over his daughter. Though he stood a good six inches above her, Eponine managed to stand up straight and stare him in the face. They stood only a few inches apart, their eyes not parting.

Eponine took a deep breath and said,"I am willing to work to stay here." Her only answer was a suspicious glare from her mother and a scoff from her father. "I'm the best pickpocket here, you both know that," she said, holding up her father's wallet that she had just taken. "I'd be able to help you a lot."

Thenardier snatched his wallet back from you. "We are doing fine without you," he said hotly.

"Wait, dear," his wife said in a sickly sweet voice. She stood next to her husband and took his arm, pulling him back from their daughter. "Let's not be too rash. Perhaps we were too hard on her. She's obviously going through a hard time, what kind of parents would we be if we didn't help her out?" Madame looked her daughter with fake sympathy in her eyes. "You poor thing."

It took everything Eponine had to not roll her eyes. She knew this was how they would respond. All they cared about was money and themselves. This was something that from a young age Eponine had resented. But now she was able to use it to her advantage.

Once what Eponine had offered had sunk in, Thenardier agreed. "Yes, she's obviously having a rough time," he said, embracing his daughter. Eponine cringed as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry, honey. You are welcome to stay with us as long as you want."

"As long as you pay for yourself," Madame included.

* * *

Eponine and her parents came up with a payment program. She would go out and do whatever they wanted- pickpocket or beg usually - and give them sixty percent of her earnings. It was unfair, but she didn't really have any other choice. It was all she could do.

Being at her house subjected her to abuse that she had to endure without a word. Verbal abuse from her mother about not bringing in enough. She would say how much of an inconvenience Eponine had been since they took her in and that if Eponine really wanted to pay her way, she would have to get better. Her mother had a shrill voice that when she yelled, it made you want to claw your eardrums out. There was also physical abuse from her father, though it was just usually drunken slaps across the face. Her parents were also perpetually at odds with each other. They would fight constantly, yelling loud enough for the residents of the inn to hear. And their fighting with their spouse only made them worse toward Eponine.

Already, her physical appearance had changed. She easily weighed ten pounds less, now really just skin and bones. Dark rings lined her lifeless, brown eyes. She walked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her whole image just was one of exhaustion and frailty.

Eponine was trying to find another job, anywhere. She needed to start saving up again. She felt like she couldn't spend another day with her nagging mother and her repulsive father and his friends. Montparnasse had not stopped harassing her since he learned of her coming home. She had to get out of there. She had a job lined up at a bar, but it would still take a while for her to get out of the house. In the meantime, she just had to keep doing her parent's dirty work.

As she walked through the crowd, Eponine looked at the shoes of the people passing her. She had a personal rule of never looking her victim in the face. If she looked down, it was over, quick and painless. If she saw their face, they had a family, a story. If she looked at their face, they were no different than her; someone just trying to make it in the world. She had to turn off her emotions and just get it over with.

A pair of simple black Converse caught her eye. She followed the shoes for a couple of feet before bumping into them. She mumbled a 'sorry Monsieur' and quickly walked away. Not quickly enough though. A firm hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"If you think that trick is going to wo-" the man stopped talking abruptly. Eponine looked up into his face.

"Shit."

Standing right in front of her, holding her arm, was one of the men that Eponine had told herself she would never see again. She tore her wrist out of his grasp and handed him back his wallet. Then she quickly made her escape down the busy street. She heard him calling her name, but she ignored it. She just kept on running. Running away.

* * *

Enjolras stood, stupefied, holding his wallet. Had that seriously just happened? And had he really just lost her? He and the boys had promised to not go looking for her when they realized she had left. They all knew where she went and why. They also knew she would never forgive them if they purposely went to find her. She was too proud to ever say she needed help from any of them, and too proud to let them see what she had sacrificed.

Though they had made that promise, it hadn't stopped any of them from going to that part of Paris to try to 'accidentally' see her. They knew where the inn was and every one of them had gone down there. But Enjolras was the first to have seen her. And he let her go. How could he have been so stupid?

Later that night when Enjolras and his friends were in the café (a different one than Eponine had previously worked at out of respect for her), he finally decided to bring up the topic that had been nagging at him for hours.

"I saw Eponine today," he said after they had fallen into a silence, looking at Marius specifically for a response. Les Amis tried to make things not awkward when Eponine was living with Grantaire. They were all still friends with Marius, they just never asked him to hang out when she was around. When she left, they found themselves falling back into their old routine. Enjolras would be lying if he said he wasn't upset that Marius had moved on so quickly from Eponine, but he wasn't about to lose a good friendship over that.

Marius looked up in surprise, joined with the other members of Les Amis.

"Where?" Grantaire asked urgently. He had been a mess since Eponine left. He felt responsible for her leaving and took all guilt upon himself. He had been drinking more than usual and wasn't his general snarky self.

"Right by the little bookstore on the southside of town," Enjolras responded. "She tried to take my wallet."

"What happened?" Courfeyrac asked. All of the guys were hanging on Enjolras's words. They had all been good friends with Eponine. She touched their lives in different ways, and for each and every one of them, there had been something missing from their lives since she left.

"The moment she found out who I was, she bolted," Enjolras said sadly. "I tried to chase her down but she got lost in the crowd."

"Why don't we go down there and find her and bring her back with us?" Combeferre suggested. "Now that we know where she is when she's not at home we can convince her to come stay with one of us."

"She's not stupid, Combeferre," Marius snapped, speaking up for the first time. "I know her better than all of you. She won't go back to that spot. And even if you did find her, she would get away. When she doesn't want to be found, she isn't found."

"It's worth a try though!" Grantaire said desperately. "We have to try!"

"Marius is right," Joly said. "We won't see Eponine again until she lets us."

There was a long silence as this sunk in. The boys all new this was true, but they didn't want it to accept it.

"So how did she look? Was she okay?" Joly asked after a while.

"No," Enjolras said. "Actually, I barely recognized her. She's a different person."

They all looked down sadly. As romantic as the thought was, they all had hoped she would be doing well. Prospering.

"So, Enjolras, what should we do?" Combeferre asked, looking to the leader.

Enjolras got to his feet as he thought. He looked out the window into the city, thinking about how alone Eponine was. His heart broke for her. But she was strong and she was stubborn; if anyone could make it in circumstances like that, it was her. And even if they did find her, she would never forgive them. "We do what we have done. We go places where we might see her, but we do not go to her house or invade her privacy like that at all," he said finally. "She would never forgive us."

* * *

Eponine was working at the bar most nights. The pay was okay and the tips were decent. The men were vile, but the worst they got the higher the tips got, so it kind of evened out. She didn't particularly enjoy it, but if it would get her out of that awful house, it was worth it.

Because she had no other ways of transportation, Eponine had to walk the mile home every night. She generally got off very late and the streets weren't exactly the safest. So far, she hadn't had much trouble on the streets. Too often she heard aggressive voices in an alley way. She knew better than to go down and help whoever was in trouble. That is, until one night she heard a familiar voice. A voice she thought she would never hear again. Marius.

Before she could even stop herself, Eponine walked into the dark alley. The scene in front of her made her stomach drop. Marius had his back up against a brick wall. It was dark, but it looked like there was a cut on his face where he had gotten hit. Surrounding him were men all too familiar to Eponine: her father and his gang. Gueulemer was about to punch Marius when she yelled out.

"NO!" she yelled in a raspy voice that didn't even sound like her. The sound of desperation. All of the men looked up; five in anger, one in relief. "Don't hurt him!"

"Who the fuck is that?" slurred her father. "Go grab them, 'Parnasse."

A figure approached her. He didn't recognize her until he was only a foot away. He laughed drunkenly. "It's your tramp of a daughter, Thenardier!"

"What? Bring her over here!" Montparnasse grabbed Eponine by her shirt and dragged her over to the group of men. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Let go of me!" Eponine tore her clothes out of his filthy hands. "Don't hurt him. Pick anyone else in the city, let him go."

"You think I'm going to listen to you? You have cost your mother and I a lot. You've been nothing but a pain in my ass since you came back. And all of a sudden I'm going to do what you want? Why do you even care anyway? You can think again," her father yelled. He leaned close to her face and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She knew this was not going to end well, but she couldn't let him hurt Marius.

"Um... Thenardier?" Gueulemer said stupidly. "Where did he go?" The large man pointed to the spot where the student had just been.

Thenardier exploded. "Idiot! How could you let him get away? You had one job, and you couldn't even do that, you stupid idiot!" Thenardier stared up at the man a head taller than him. "Get out of here!"

Eponine smirked triumphantly. Her plan had worked, he would be safe another day. And so would she. Since all the men were so wrapped up in Marius leaving, she started to sneak away.

Suddenly, she was pulled back and shoved against a wall. Montparnasse stood, face inches away from her. "Oh no," he slurred. "You're not getting away."

Thenardier turned around to face her, his face red with anger. "You. Little. Bitch. It's because of you that we lost him!" He swung to hit her, but she ducked, causing him to hit Montparnasse instead. 'Parnasse turned to her, eyes flaming with anger. He hit her hard, making her fall. Eponine stood up slowly, dizzy. She felt blood running down her nose and she went to wipe it away. Thenardier made another swing at her, making his mark this time, right into the gut. Eponine managed to hold her ground this time, but ran into the wall behind her. She doubled over, coughing.

As Thenardier went to make his next move, Eponine dodged it quickly, making him hit the wall instead. She turned and kicked him in the stomach, making him lose his footing. He fell back and she was above him. She punched him in the face, and feeling her anger release, hit him again. Just as she was about to punch him again, she was jerked back by her hair. Montparnasse threw her on the ground, making her hit her head. He kicked her in the ribs, knocking the breath out of her. As she gasped she felt another blow. She was seeing black spots, but she wouldn't give up. She luckily rolled out of the way of another kick and stood up. As 'Parnasse advanced toward her and swung at her again, she did the only thing she could think of; she kicked him in the balls.

Montparnasse's legs collapsed and he was left kneeling on the ground. Eponine began to run away from the scene, but her arm was jerked back and she was thrown to the ground. Her head hit the curb of the road. Thenardier looked over his daughter whom he had just thrown. He kicked her in the stomach, but she didn't move. For a moment he was left speechless. He stared at her motionless body, reality kicking in. What had he done?

"Fuck. 'Parnasse, let's get out of here," he said, snapping back into reality. "Shit shit shit. We have to go." He helped his partner up. He glanced back at his daughter as he ran from the scene, tears rimming his eyes. "Je suis desole, mon cher." _I'm sorry, dear._


	5. Chapter 5: Recovery

**A/N: So this chapter ended up being super long so I split it into two. Sorry if it seems really slow, but I'm hoping there will be more exciting stuff in the next one. Thanks again for all the follows/ Reviews/ favorites! **

* * *

Chapter five: Recovery

"I'm coming home. Tell the world I'm coming home. Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday"- Diddy ft. Skylar Grey

Enjolras and Grantaire walked down the empty Paris street toward their home. It was very late and Grantaire was very drunk. Enjolras was mainly there to make sure his friend made it home safely, though he was still having fun. It was raining a little, but they didn't seem to mind They were having a good time and a little rain wasn't going to ruin that. The students were laughing loudly when they saw someone slide around the corner as they ran at full speed. The person collapsed on the sidewalk, gasping for breath. As they warily approached the figure, the recognized him.

"Marius! Where did you go?" Grantaire yelled to him. "You disappeared from the party after like an hour!"

"Shut up!" Marius whispered furiously, turning to them. "They're going to find me!"

Enjolras and Grantaire shared a gasp as they saw Marius's face. He had blood underneath his nose with slight bruising already around it. His lip was swollen and cut. His cheekbone was also red and cut.

"You look like shit. What happened to you?" Enjolras asked, coming up to get a closer look at his friend's face. "Who did this?"

"I was walking home from the party and I was running late to meet Cosette so I decided to take the shorter way, though it's through a worse part of town. Tonight we were going to celebrate our three-month anniversary, so it was really important that I wasn't late. Then suddenly, I was pulled into an alleyway, surrounded by like five men. They told me to give them my wallet and anything else I might have had. I said no so this enormous man hit me in the face! He was about to hit me again when someone called out. They distracted the men enough for me to get away, and I have been running since," Marius said in a hurried whisper. He would flinch at any noise and would look around at any sign of movement. His whole body was shaking from adrenaline and fear.

"Do you have any idea who those guys were?" Enjolras asked. "Or who saved you?"

"No, it was too dark to see anyone. I barely saw the guy in front of me. I just heard five different voices."

"Why didn't you just give up your money? It's not like you have that much," Grantaire said bluntly.

"Because I bought Cosette really nice bracelet for our anniversary." Marius started checking his pockets, making sure everything was there. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he frantically searched all his pockets again. "Shit! It's gone!"

After searching around them for a while, Enjolras said, "It probably fell out of your pocket while you were running. Let's just go back in the morning and look for it." Grantaire nodded in agreement.

"No! It'll be gone by morning if I leave it. I have to go back now!" Marius stood up and quickly started going back the way he came. His friends sighed and followed him. Using their phones as lights, they searched his whole trek to the alleyway. "I don't see it. It must have fallen out of my pocket when he hit me... I think they're gone now and even if they do come back, we can take them, right? Yeah, we totally could," said Marius, trying to talk courage into himself. He took a deep breath and turned the corner into the dark alley.

At first glance, the alley was empty. Enjolras was the first to see the body. In the dim light, he couldn't see the face, but he could tell it was a girl. Her body was laying in an awkward position and he saw blood around her. "Shit! Grantaire, Marius! Come here! Someone's hurt!" He rushed over to the body to assess the wounds as best he could. He knelt over her, lifted her head, and checked for a pulse. His mouth went dry when he saw her face fully. It was Eponine.

Grantaire came up behind Enjolras to look at all the fuss. "Shit, there's a lot of blood. Is she alive?" he asked. "Wait... Is that..?"

"Eponine," Enjolras whispered. Realization kicked in and Grantaire knelt on the other side of her, not able to take his eyes off of her face.

"'Ponine!" he cried, his voice cracking, tears falling down his face. "Eponine!" Grantaire turned to see Marius staring at her, dumbfounded. His face changed from one of sorrow to one of anger. "This is your fault," he said, rising to his feet. "She saved your life, and could be dead because of it!"

"Do not blame this on me," Marius snapped back. "You would have done the same in my situation, you coward. I didn't know who it was. If I had known it was Eponine, I would have stayed!"

"Bullshit! You're too worried about your precious self to care about her!" Grantaire approached Marius, his eyes flaming and his hands shaking with anger.

"That's not even true!" Marius defended. "I looked for her too when she left!"

"Where were you before that? Where were you when she was homeless? Where were you when she was jobless? Off with Cosette? You seem to really care," Grantaire yelled, approaching Marius, his fist curling. Marius backed up against the wall, fearful for the second time that night of getting pounded.

"Stop fighting, you two." Enjolras stood and separated his friends. "We need to worry about Eponine now. She's alive, but I can't tell how badly she's injured. R, you call Joly and tell him to meet me at my apartment. Marius, you help me lift her without hurting her. We need to get to her somewhere safe now."

Marius gently lifted Eponine and put her into Enjolras's arms. Grantaire frantically called Joly. She was rushed as quickly as they could to Enjolras's apartment, where Joly was already waiting. The group walked up the few stairs in silence. They unlocked the door and hurried in. Enjolras rushed over to the couch and put her down on it and let Joly get to work.

The atmosphere in the apartment was nervous. Grantaire was standing over Joly, pestering him with questions. "Is she going to be okay? Should we take her to a hospital? You are only a student after all. Are you qualified to be doing this? Is she going to be okay?"

"Grantaire, you are a good friend, but if you don't shut up and let me get to work, I swear I will never speak to you again," Joly finally snapped. Grantaire shut up.

Enjolras was pacing back and forth from the couch to the window. He understood why Grantaire was asking all of those questions. He wanted to ask them himself. It felt like this was all his fault. If he had let them go get Eponine, this never would have happened. If he had only cared more about her well-being rather than her pride, she would be unharmed.

Marius was on his phone, letting his girlfriend know about what happened. He talked to her for a while, apologizing for not being able to make their date. She just responded that she was please he was safe.

After what felt like hours of bandaging, cleaning and stitching, Joly stood up. The three boys stopped and looked at him expectantly. Joly sighed and wiped his hands on his pants. The normally jovial boy looked exhausted.

"She's going to be alright," he said finally. "She has lost a lot of blood and has some broken ribs. She also has a concussion, so when she wakes up she could be sick or even have amnesia. I also wouldn't be surprised if she isn't completely coherent when she wakes up. Most likely, she'll be irritated because she'll be in a lot of pain. Don't let her move, make her rest as much as possible. Periodically change the ice that's on her head and her ribs. When she wakes up, ask her simple questions to make sure she doesn't have any major brain damage. Her nose also is broken, so keep her head raised and put ice on that too. Call me if you have any questions."

Enjolras nodded, taking in all the instruction. He rubbed his tired, red-rimmed eyes. "I'll sleep out here on the floor by her. Joly, please, sleep in my bed. It's almost four and I know you have class in the morning." The student nodded appreciatively. "Marius and Grantaire, you two are also welcome to stay here for the night. There are a couple of chairs you could sleep in, or the floor. But we should all get some sleep."

* * *

Eponine woke up to a throbbing pain in her head. Panic started to creep in as she looked around the unfamiliar house. She racked her brain for any memory of the night before, any memory about why she was here. She looked around for a quick escape and saw a door not too far away. She attempted to sit up, but an excruciating pain kept her down, winding her. She laid there, breathing heavily and tried to think of a way out.

"You're awake," said a groggy voice beside her. "Guys! She's awake!"

Eponine turned her head, with no ease, to look at the person who had spoken. It was a boy, not much older than herself. He had messy blond curls and sharp, yet concerned, blue eyes. She knew she recognized him, but she couldn't think of his name.

Two other people came into the room and rushed over to her. One was barely a teenager. Dirty blond, messy curls framed his child-like face. He stood over her, trying not to cry.

The other, quite a few years older, looked at her with worry in his dark eyes. His uncontrollable black curls flopped into his eyes. He held a flask in his hand which he frequently sipped out of.

And like a switch had been turned on in her brain, Eponine remembered their faces and their relation to her. "Enjolras. Grantaire. Gavroche," she said, her tongue like lead in her mouth. Her mouth was dryer than a sandbox. As soon as she took a breath through her mouth she began to cough, making her abdomen hurt.

Gavroche ran to get his sister a glass of water. He brought it back and let her take careful sips out of it.

"Why am I here?" Eponine asked after drinking a lot. "What happened?"

"How much do you remember?" Enjolras asked her after sharing a glance with the others.

Eponine thought, searching her mind for anything out of the ordinary. "I remember getting off work and walking home," she said.

"Do you remember getting home?" Gavroche asked her.

Again, she thought. "No," she said, surprised. "But it was like two a.m. I often don't remember walking home."

"You were hurt in a really bad attack," Grantaire blurted suddenly. "Do you remember who by?"

"I was what? No, there's no way that could be true," Eponine denied.

"It's true," Enjolras said somberly. "Grantaire, Marius and I found you this morning laying unconscious in the alleyway. You got a concussion, which is probably why you don't remember."

Eponine tried her hardest to remember anything from the night before. It felt like a part of her was missing, not being able to remember a whole night. "Why did I get attacked? What did I do?"

"From the way I was told, you wanted to save Marius," Enjolras told her.

Marius. Of course she would risk herself to save him. She would give up anything to save him. "He's okay then?"

"Yes. His nose is bruised, but nothing like yours," Gavroche teased.

Eponine felt her nose with her fingers and a shooting pain went up her head. "Ow. Do you have a mirror? What do I look like?"

A small, handheld mirror was given to her. She stared at the girl looking back at her. She barely could believe it was herself. One eye was already very swollen with purple and blue. Her nose was slightly askew. She had a cut that was stitched on her forehead. She was a mess.

"I look like shit," she laughed at herself. She put down the mirror and noticed bruising. "At least I gave whoever it was some hell."


End file.
